Rising from the ashes.....
Following the fires of New Years Eve 2019, the remains of the York were moved to temporary accommodation at the Moruya Industrial Estate. On 30th June 2020, a small group of members got stuck into dismantling it in order to see the extent of the damage. The flywheels were stuck solid to the crankshaft and a "special tool" was fabricated which was aided by a youthful member with a 14 pound sledge hammer and a lot of heat!! That combination equalled success.
The following report given by Barry Hickson in early 2020.....
Things have been progressing well at our Shelly Rd unit with Noel Hand & Kim Taylor working hard to remove the flywheels from the York crankshaft. Noel made up a spreader to put in the yoke of the shaft to assist straightening it. Kim brought a special gas nozzle to heat the hubs & with the aid of a spacer Noel made they were successful in moving the flywheels inward to allow the keys to be knocked out & the wheels then removed. Great work Chaps! A sight to see was Noel wielding a very large sledgehammer onto the spacer to drive the wheels down the shaft. After the wheels were removed Noel took the crankshaft to his brother Ian’s workshop at Tuross where it was spun in a large lathe & worked on till it is now only 8 to 10 thou out. Kim & Mal are now working on removing the 6 nuts that hold the hopper to the cylinder casting as the gasket will need to be replaced after the fire. Kathy has already lodged an application for a Heritage Grant to assist the cost of restoration. |
14 Jul 2020
Members at the shed managed to remove the hopper from the York, after much grinding of rusted bolts, liberal coatings of acetone and gentle levering. The photo below shows Kim and Noel with the stripped down engine
Members at the shed managed to remove the hopper from the York, after much grinding of rusted bolts, liberal coatings of acetone and gentle levering. The photo below shows Kim and Noel with the stripped down engine
The spare igniter for the York engine was dug up on the club's old site 12 months after the fires
Progress report early August 2021:
Top row L to R
Straightening the axis of the crankshaft... (the only small hydraulic press we could find!)
The crankshaft back in the block
Noel fitting the flywheels
Bottom row L to R
Checking for runout on the flywheels.... mmmm still a bit too much ????
Pull it apart and try again .... (Lucky we’re patient ???? )
Click on image to enlargen
Top row L to R
Straightening the axis of the crankshaft... (the only small hydraulic press we could find!)
The crankshaft back in the block
Noel fitting the flywheels
Bottom row L to R
Checking for runout on the flywheels.... mmmm still a bit too much ????
Pull it apart and try again .... (Lucky we’re patient ???? )
Click on image to enlargen